Caution with the Cascade and other dishwasher detergents. Some turn the aluminum black. If you're going to do several engines, a crock pot with antifreeze is excellent. The crockpot can no longer be used for cooking food!

An old coffee percolator with the basket removed and anti-freeze will work as a good substitute for a crockpot. Once boiling stops it switches over to simmer, plus it uses less anti-freeze. I cleaned up these with a combination of methods. The anti-freeze is good at removing the dried Castor spooge. Once cleaned, one can touch up with Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish. I find light filing of burs and crash damage with a file followed by Mother's helps. Mother's will sometimes clean up aluminum finish better than OEM, so if a collector item go easy on it.

Bob, remove the basket from the percolator, it is not needed. I'm using a 50-50 already diluted antifreeze solution of traditional toxic ethylene-glycol. There is much debate on what works best. Some say the newer stuff works, I don't know. I guess it is a case of YMMV (your mileage may vary). Make sure the engine parts are fully submerged.

I've found that once I simmer an engine in antifreeze, sometimes in my percolator for 2 days for really stubborn baked Castor, solution gets dirty enough that it shouldn't be reused. Otherwise, it coats the 2nd engine with Castor spooge. Good luck, and please let us know how it's working out for you.

George, I left the coffee maker on all day yesterday and could see minute size particules lift off the engine. I guess another full day with the coffee maker on and I will pull the crank case out to see how she looks. You mentioned "Mothers". Is that a rubbing compound?

Bob, remove the basket from the percolator, it is not needed. I'm using a 50-50 already diluted antifreeze solution of traditional toxic ethylene-glycol. There is much debate on what works best. Some say the newer stuff works, I don't know. I guess it is a case of YMMV (your mileage may vary). Make sure the engine parts are fully --- snip

Take out the stem but use the basket to hold the parts. Then you dont have to fish around for the little bits. I found a cheap dollar store stainless colander that fits in my crock pot.

That might work with a metal basket. Coffee pot I am using has a plastic one, so wouldn't work for me. To retrieve parts from the solution, I use one of those steel cable grabbers that has the retracting "fingers" on it, used by mechanics to get a part that has fallen into an inaccessible place in an engine compartment.

I put enough solution to just cover the parts. Since the coffee pot doesn't use as much solution as a crockpot, I find it easier to fish out the smaller parts.

A Usenet newsgroup, rec.motorcycles operated by the Denizens of Doom, use to have 2 rules for the forum:

There are no rules.

Go ride.

I can only tell you what works for me. Others have their own methods, etc.

Yes, rinse the parts of antifreeze with plain tap water. To remove any softened residue that might remain and oily spooge that dissolved in the water and may have coated the parts, I use a dish washing soap solution in water and scrub with an old toothbrush. Any that remains, I dry the parts then might soak in acetone, further scrub with a toothbrush to knock off residues.

You'll have to find a method that works for you, good luck and let us know how far you've gotten.

No problem Bob, glad to help. I'd like to see your Ringmaster build. I got 3, the old S-1 with McCoy .35 Red Head, a Jr. with an OS .15FP-S, and a 20" span variant patterned after the fat tubby Grandville Gee Bee I call the 1/2-A Gee Bee Ringmaster. It is powered with an A.C. Gilbert .07 Thunderhead.